DiNozzo's Theory of Relativity
by LuvsHerGus
Summary: What happens when Tony acquires a 10 year old little sister he never knew he had? He knows life as he knows it will change-but will it be for the better? Rated M, just to be safe. Development of a Tabby romance included. Team as a family.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi ya'll! Want to give a shout out to my bestie, Smush68 (AWESOME Tony-centric stories! Go read 'em!), and one of **_**her **_**besties, Mandielouluvsewe (even **_**more **_**awesome Tony-centric stories!), for letting me make their story idea my own. You guys **_**ROCK! **_**Thanks for allowing me to run with your baby.**

**A little about me - like my bud Smush68, I totally 'ship TABBY in any way, shape, or form. I may have Tony/OC, but you will NEVER see a Tiva romantic relationship in any of my stories. EVER. So if you don't have an open mind with regards to Tabby, my stuff may not be for you. Just warning you now! LOL**

**This is my first-ever published FF, so please bear that in mind when you REVIEW after reading! You ARE going to REVIEW, aren't you?**

**No recognized NCIS characters or brand names belong to me. Ok, just depressed myself….**

_**DiNozzo's Theory of Relativity**_

**Chapter 1**

_**NCIS**_

"Grab you gear!" Gibbs strode through the bullpen to his desk, pulling out his gun, grabbing up his jacket. McGee and Ziva were already half-way to the elevator when Gibbs noticed Tony on the phone. Seeing his boss glaring at him, Tony held up one finger, telling him to wait a minute.

"That's great, dad, we'll catch up later. Right now we got a case, I have to go…..listen, I'll meet you there, in the restaurant. I gotta' go!…What time are you leaving? … I'll try to be there before that, but I can't promise…just tell me what it is, dad…look, if I'm not there when you have to leave, just leave whatever it is at the front desk and I'll pick it up there, ok? As long as it's not the room bill. I gotta go…..hanging up now, dad…..hanging up….." Tony slammed the receiver down and pulled his gun out of his desk drawer and swept up his gear bag as he ran for the elevator next to Gibbs. "Sorry, boss. Apparently my father's in town for the day, says he's got something important to give me."

Gibbs gave him a hard glare. "Hope it's a job, if you make us late to another crime scene."

Tony gulped. "Gotcha', boss."

_**0800, The Next Morning**_

_**NCIS Bullpen**_

The case was a tough one - seaman's wife and two children were missing, feared kidnapped. Or worse. The house had been in shambles when the team had arrived, and there were no obvious pieces of evidence to help them out. Apparently, before entering the Navy, the seaman had made some enemies, very nasty enemies. Since he'd been in the Navy, though, he'd straightened up his act, become not only a respectable citizen but a model sailor. Could this be related to the poor man's past? The team had worked late into the night looking for leads and following dead ends. One by one, they all eventually fell asleep at their desks.

This was how forensic specialist extraordinaire (she'd added that last bit to her title herself) Abby Sciuto found her friends when she came in just before 0800 (8:00 AM). "Awwwww, they're so cute when they're asleep…."

"So are babies, Abbs, 'til you wake them up," said Gibbs, magically appearing out of nowhere as usual, looking rested and with a fresh cup of coffee. Abby giggled as she checked on each of her friends. Ziva had her head face-planted on her folded arms, dark hair spread all around, so you couldn't even tell she had a face. McGee - he looked like such an innocent, young boy, head resting on the one arm holding it up. And then…there was DiNozzo.

Tony was leaning all the way back in his chair, zonked out, feet propped on his desk. Abby just couldn't resist. She smiled devilishly at Gibbs, who came over to stand beside her, grinning. Abby leaned down next to Tony's ear, caressing the outer shell of it with a gentle finger. "Oh, To-nyyyyyy," she said with a sexy whisper. Even in sleep, you could see awareness on Tony's face. He grumbled low, found Abby's arm and ran his hand gently up and down, slowly. "Ohhhh, Tony, _yessss_," she cooed. Tony's hand dropped from Abby's arm down to her thigh closest to him, tickled his fingers up and down, back up, sliding tentatively up under her short skirt. Giggling seductively, Abby blew in his ear. "Mmmmm, more, Tony, please. I want it so bad!"

With a sexy smirk, and still asleep, Tony trailed his questing fingers higher. Gibbs glared, keeping a close eye on how high those fingers were going. He'd hate to have to rip his SFA's hands off. Watching the younger man squirm in his sleep, he decided he didn't like where Tony's dream was going. "Mmmmmm, spread your legs, little girl. Let me see you….." Tony growled. He smiled that roguish smile. "You're so fucking beautiful, Abbs…." he groaned. _That's it!_ Gibbs had heard enough! He didn't hear Abby gasp when DiNozzo called her name. Pushing a shocked (yet flattered and rather turned on) Abby to the side, Gibbs stepped into her place and bent over his agent.

"Ohhhh Toooooo-nnnnnnyyyyyyyyyyy," he whispered softly, chuckling when DiNozzo's face wrinkled in confusion. "Wake up, Tonnnnnnnyyyyyyyyyyy." Gibbs tapped him gently on the cheek. Seeing his eyelids begin to flutter, Gibbs put his face right square in front of Tony's.

"Mmmmmmm, Abby, need to make lo-_AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" _Tony opened his eyes, expecting to see his little Mistress of the Dark curled up next to him. He yelled upon seeing Gibbs, the shock knocking him right out of his chair. His scream woke his other sleeping partners, both of whom jolted awake with weapons raised. Abby giggled a few feet away, hand over her mouth.

Gibbs glared down at Tony. "You need to _what_ with Abby, DiNozzo?"

Tony always considered thinking fast on his feet one of his character strengths. But he feared that strength was eluding him today. "Uh….make….make…..um…._lunch!_ Need to make _lunch_ for Abby….lunch."

"Awwwww, that's so sweet!" Abby crooned from behind Gibbs, who continued to stare down at his fallen agent.

"Make sure that's _all_ it is," he threatened with a glare and walked back to his desk, paying no attention when Abby hurried over to help Tony up.

"I'm sorry, Tony." She fidgeted as she watched him straighten his clothes. "Sssooooo…are you really going to make me lunch?" she asked shyly.

Tony gave her that sly grin. "Well, that all depends…."

Abby was confused. "On what?"

He moved in closer to Abby and bent his head to whisper (not so quietly) in her ear. "Are you wearing a black lace thong today, by any chance?"

Abby gulped, shocked. "H-how did you know?"

With a smirk, Tony sat back at his desk and opened his computer. "It's what you had on in my dream….." He winked lasciviously at Abby, wiggled his eyebrows, while she stared open-mouthed at him.

"Abby!" Gibbs' yell pulled her back.

"Going to my lab, boss-man." She flew out of the bullpen, never looking back.

Less than an hour later, the three younger agents had been to the locker rooms to shower and change clothes. Once back in the bullpen, they returned all their attention back to their missing family case. As usual, Tony was trying to keep things light by harassing his co-workers. As the twentieth ball of paper bounced off his head and into his trash can (_yes, _he'd kept count), McGee was thinking of ways to distract Tony for awhile. Then he remembered. "Hey Tony - weren't you supposed to meet your father last night at his hotel?"

Tony grimaced, and for a moment thought about not calling the old man, then changed his mind. He tried Senior's cell several times, but got no answer.

"Your father said he had something for you, did he not?" questioned Ziva, eyes never leaving her computer screen. She too, was hoping for a few minutes of peace and quiet. "You asked him to leave it at the front desk for you if you could not make it to dinner."

McGee's eyes lit up and he joined Ziva's idea. "Right! You should probably go pick it up. Don't want anyone to lose it or anything, sitting there so long…."

Tony eyed his team mates suspiciously. "I'm sensing that you two are trying to get rid of me."

Ziva and McGee shared a look. And at the same time answered, "yes!"

With a sarcastic smile, Tony grabbed his gun and badge from the desk drawer and headed for the elevator. "Ok, ok, I'm going. But if we get a case, I'm blaming it all on you if I'm late to the scene." He hopped on the elevator and was gone.

_**The Hotel Washington**_

_**Downtown Washington, D.C.**_

Tony made his way through the elegant lobby of the Hotel Washington, stopping at the front desk. He took out his badge and identification and showed it to the clerk. "Tony DiNozzo, Jr. My father, Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. was going to leave something for me here last night….?"

The young woman paled. "Um, let me get my manager….he'll be able to tell you more."

Confused, and not a little put by the wait, Tony sighed. 'What the hell did you leave me, ol' man,' he thought to himself, leaning on the counter.

"Mr. DiNozzo?" Tony turned to see an older, stuffy-looking gentleman looking down his nose at him. "If I might see some identification, to prove you are who you say you are?"

With another sigh, Tony drew out his badge and identification. "Special Agent, NCIS, Anthony D. DiNozzo, Jr."

The manager sniffed haughtily. "We were just about to call the authorities….."

Tony waved his badge again. "I _am_ the authorities. So can you just give me the envelope, package, whatever it is, now? Please?"

"If you would kindly follow me, please….." the older gentleman led Tony to a sitting area just across from the front desk. "All yours, Mr. DiNozzo. Have a good day." With a snide smirk, the manager walked back to the desk.

Tony stood in the sitting area, turning in circles, looking for a package or an envelope. When he didn't spot anything, he went back to the front desk. "Where is it?"

"_It_ is there in the sitting area waiting for you."

He was barely hanging on to his temper. Between the missing family case and the bad night's sleep at his desk, Tony's patience was almost nil. "Well then, someone must have stolen it, because I'm not seeing anything." Just his luck - his phone rang. Checking the number, he saw it was Gibbs. He took the call. "One second, boss." He turned to the older gentleman again. "Just show me where the damn thing is, so I can get back to work…."

The manager and the desk clerk looked at each other, trying to decide if this guy was for real. The manager shook his head slowly. "I should have just called the authorities," he mumbled under his breath, coming back around the front desk to lead Tony back to the sitting area.

"Yeah, boss, sorry. I'm down picking up whatever it is my dad left for me…that is if no one has _stolen_ it," he emphasized for the manager. "I'll be there soon as I pick it up…..hang on a second." Back in the sitting area, Tony made a show of looking around. "Well? I don't see anything, do you?"

With a sigh, the manager pointed to the loveseat. "Right there."

Tony looked, but didn't see anything, except a young kid curled up, asleep. "Yeah, so….where is it?" The manager just pointed again. "What, the loveseat? My father left me a couch?"

"_Not_ the loveseat, sir. What's _on_ the loveseat."

"What's on….there's just a kid…..?" The manager gave him a 'duh!' look. "The kid?" He put his phone back to his ear. "Hey boss, you'll love this one - this guy is trying to tell me my father left me a kid…"

"Mr. DiNozzo, I suggest you get in contact with your father if you have questions." With a sneer that said the man didn't think much of him, the manager strode back to the front desk.

Tony talked with Gibbs a minute more, then tried calling his father again. "Finally! Where have you been, dad? I'm here at the hotel….what? Are you crazy? You left me a…dad….dad….don't you hang up on me! Don't you….!" He slammed his phone shut. "Damn it!" Looking over, he saw the young kid had startled awake when he yelled. "Hey…" he said uncomfortably. "Sorry…about that. Didn't mean to wake…wake you…." The kid just shrugged. "I'm, uh, I'm Tony. My father, Anthony Sr., left you here?" The kid nodded again and held up a picture of Tony. "Ah! So you knew who you were waiting for…." A short nod. The kid held out a thick envelope with Tony's name on it. As he took it, Tony noticed pink nail polish on the kid's fingers. A girl. She picked her backpack up off the floor and hugged it to her chest. Tony was in way over his head, and he knew it. Pulling out his phone, he held up a finger to the girl. "Hang on…just…one second, ok?" She nodded as the phone was answered on the other end. "Yeah, boss…uh….I think I've got a problem…."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- WOW! So glad you all like my first chappie! Special thanks to my first reviewers, Lulubell76, PepperAnn11, Mandielouluvsewe, GagaMidnight, LifelessApril, and of course, my bestie Smush68! I sent you guys 'thank you's', but they were from Smush's email - was with her at the time, using her laptop, just wrote 'em from there, so sorry for any confusion! And for all you followers, alerters, and favoriters - many thanks! But maybe drop a review, too? Thanks, Friends in FanFiction!**

**Nothing in this story is mine, with the exception of the little girl. Well, she's not mine, either, she **_**really**_** belongs to Smush68 and Mandielouluvsewe, who both have generously permitted me to borrow both the girl **_**and**_** the story. Expressed, written consent and everything!**

**And a special shout out to my Tabby friend April, who's feeling a little down. Hope this helps, even just a **_**little**_**, to put a smile on your sweet face.**

"_Yeah, boss…uh….I think I've got a problem…."_

A problem. Her. He'd barely said two words to her, and already she was a problem. Stephanie hugged her backpack closer to her chest and buried her chin in it, fighting back tears. Her father - Senior, he'd asked her to call him - had said this might happen and to not be surprised. It was nothing _she _did, he said, but the fact was, the DiNozzo men weren't cut out for parenting. Oh Senior had tried for the year or so she'd been with him. He just had the tendency to forget she was with him. He'd accidentally left her in a hotel in Houston once. She hadn't even known he was gone until the next morning, when Housekeeping had come in to clean the room and woke her up. Senior had already been back in New York and couldn't take the time to come back for her. He'd had the hotel add the cost of her plane ticket to his bill, and the doorman had gotten her a taxi to the airport. While on the flight back to New York, she'd wished she could stay on the plane forever. All the flight attendants were so nice to her - they gave her extra little bags of pretzels, free headphones for the movie, and called her "sweetie" and "honey." Even the pilot had talked to her, given her a pair of plastic wings and told her he'd get her to New York safely. For a few short hours she'd felt special. It all dissolved when they'd landed in New York, and she and the flight attendant walking her off the plane were met at the gate by a grubby NY City cabbie holding a sign with her name on it. He told her to hurry up, he was double parked, hope she didn't have any luggage to claim. Stephanie had turned sadly to the attendant and thanked her. She'd always remember the soft, gentle hug the young woman had given her. Mainly because she'd never gotten one before.

Yeah, at least her father had tried. He hadn't hurt her, like some of her mother's "boyfriends" sometimes did. Her mother had taken every opportunity to remind Stephanie how she'd ruined her life. She'd put up with Stephanie as long as she could before dumping her with Senior. And now her father was foisting her off on a much older brother. A brother who already considered her a "problem." Senior had warned her that her brother was much like himself, and therefore may not want a child around.

As much as she'd hoped he was wrong, Senior was turning out to be correct. Apparently her brother wasn't even going to last a day with her.

Stephanie watched him pace, tapping the envelope with all her papers in it against his leg. She hid a smile when he finally remembered he still held it. He sat down with a sigh and opened the envelope, looking overwhelmed with all the papers.

"You're name's Stephanie?"

She jumped at the question. Too nervous to speak, she could only quietly nod her head. She quickly ducked her head again at the annoyance that flashed across his face.

Tony grimaced in annoyance at his father's words, not realizing how his reactions were making his sister - _his sister!_ - feel. 'Yeah, no kidding you're not cut out for parenting, old man, but your age has nothing to do with it,' he thought to himself angrily. As he got further into the letter, he heard a voice calling him from across the hotel lobby.

"DiNozzo!"

Saved! Hallelujah! "Boss!" Tony stood and waited as Gibbs strode across to him. When he was a few feet away, Tony went to meet him. "It's a girl, boss!"

Rolling his eyes and resisting the urge to head slap his SFA, Gibbs snuck a glance at the young girl. "Ya' think, DiNozzo?" Even with her face hidden in the top of her backpack, Gibbs saw her smile. 'She's a cutie,' he thought.

Tony was still in panic mode. "Well….but….yeah, but…..what do I do with it? ….. Her?"

Gibbs looked at the girl, assessing the situation. "Couldn't hurt,' he told himself. He motioned her to follow him, not too surprised when she was a little reluctant to do so. "You feed her, DiNozzo," he said with a gentle smile for the girl, who was approaching him slowly.

This older man, while making her nervous, also gave her a very friendly vibe. He must be her brother's boss. Is her brother going to make her his boss' problem now? Will this gentle old man help her brother send her away? When the other man motioned for her to stand and follow him, she did as she was told. She'd learned fast at her mother's feet to do what adults tell you, and do it quickly. She slowly walked behind him, grasping her backpack in a death grip.

Tony stood there, still dazed. Feed her? "But….what do they eat?"

He couldn't help it. Gibbs shook his head and rolled his eyes at the girl. "You've got your work cut out for you, taking care of him. You sure you're up for it?" He smiled when she giggled softly. 'Definitely related to DiNozzo,' he thought when he saw her smile. That smile was unmistakably the DiNozzo Smile. With a wink, he nodded toward the lobby door. "She can talk, DiNozzo. Ask her!" He headed for the exit, child following behind him like an obedient puppy. When he turned, he saw Tony trying to grab up all the paperwork and keep up with him. 'Like watching all three Stooges, rolled into one,' Gibbs thought. Just before he hit the door, he realized something. He turned to the girl - he'd have to get her to tell him her name. "Where's the rest of your bags? Larry, Moe, and Curly, there, will carry them out to the car." The girl stopped, and a nervous look crossed her face. He didn't miss the way her grip on the backpack tightened. He mentally cursed the senior DiNozzo. "That it?" Gibbs gestured toward the pack, and wanted to growl when she nodded slowly and took a step or two back. What kind of parent sends their child anywhere with a single backpack of supplies? He made himself smile. "Good thing, because I don't think he could handle anything else." He nodded at Tony, and his heart felt lighter when he heard that tiny giggle again as Tony finally joined them.

"Ok, feed her. Right. Um….breakfast? Lunch? Do they need special food? Like, extra protein or something? Fast food would be bad, right?"

Gibbs just couldn't take it anymore. He gave Tony a good head slap. He missed the girl's frightened gasp.

"Right, just ask her. Thank you, boss," Tony said, a lot more calm now.

Her brother's boss had _hit _him! Stephanie took a few unconscious steps closer to her brother. He may be a complete stranger, and planning on giving her away, but she didn't get the feeling he'd ever hurt her. But thanks to her mother and all her 'boyfriends,' she learned that appearances can be deceiving.

Tony turned to Stephanie. "So, uh….Stephanie…..are you, uh, are you, ya' know, hungry or anything? There's a few places around here that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner all day. We could, ya' know….go get something to eat? If you're hungry, that is."

With a nervous glance at her brother's boss, Stephanie quickly looked back at Tony briefly, before ducking her head and slowly nodding. She _was _hungry - she hadn't eaten since the early dinner Senior had gotten her before he left, and it was now nearing noon the next day - but between her sadness at being dumped again and being a bit afraid of her brother's boss, she didn't know if anything would actually stay down. 'Like puking your guts out in front of him is really going to make him want to keep you, Stephanie,' she told herself.

Tony and Gibbs shared a look. Understanding the question Gibbs was silently asking him, Tony shook his head. No, he hadn't yet heard this kid speak. Understanding Gibbs' next look, Tony told his sister, "After we eat, I'll take you to NCIS - that's where Gibbs and I work - and introduce you to my friends." Seeing the anxiety in her eyes, he smiled. "Don't worry, they're harmless. Well, except maybe McGeek - he may bore you to death with all his computer talk, but you can do what I do, and just tune him out." Was that a giggle? "But I think you're _really _going to love my best friend. Her name's Abby, and she's our forensic specialist. She's smarter than McGeek, but you'd never know it. She's probably the happiest goth you'll ever meet. Her music's a little loud, but other than that, she's just awesome! Lots of fun, and she has some really cool toys to play with down in her lab." He ushered Stephanie out the door behind Gibbs. "Oh, and if she talks about her 'babies,' she means her lab equipment." They followed Gibbs to his car. Stephanie seemed reluctant to get in. Remembering something he'd read in his father's letter, Tony said, "uh, hey boss. Steph and I will follow you in my car. That way you won't have to come all the way back here to drop us off, we can just go right back to the office." He saw Stephanie's shoulders relax a bit.

Reading the look in his SFA's eyes, Gibbs glanced at the girl, saw the rigidity of her spine. She was definitely afraid of something. "Yeah, ok. Meet you at the diner?"

"Sounds good. See you there." He nodded toward his car. "C'mon, I'm parked over this way." Like a good little girl, she followed him to his car. As they sat in some noonday DC traffic, he glanced at the girl…his sister….._'Stephanie,' _he reminded himself, and decided to test his theory. "You know, my boss is really a good guy. The only people I've ever seen him get mean with are the bad guys we catch. And even then, he's only mean if he has to be. He doesn't like hurting people. And he didn't hurt me when he tapped my head. It sounds a little weird, but that's really a sign of affection. And it kinda'…..gets me to focus back on topic. He wouldn't ever hurt anyone he works with. And he certainly would never hurt a kid. Never. I think he'd take cut off an arm before he ever hurt a kid." She still didn't say anything, but Tony could see she was taking in his words. Good. "I'm not asking you to be his best friend or anything, not yet. Take your time and get to know him. I just want you to know that you don't have to be afraid he's going to hurt you. Ok?" He saw a small nod. God, he hoped Abby could work her magic and bring this girl out of her shell. It was going to be difficult if the girl never spoke.

Breakfast at the diner was a quiet affair. Despite their best efforts to engage Stephanie in conversation, all Tony and Gibbs got in return was a nod or the shake of her head. She hadn't even talked to order her own food, hadn't even opened the menu. Just nodded to what Tony ordered. Diane, their regular waitress, was a wise, older lady - seventy, if she was a day - and did her best to bring Stephanie out. Told the girl she wouldn't wish that heart attack of a meal that Tony was having on anyone, maybe she'd rather have pancakes, with whipped cream and strawberries? Although her eyes lit up, Stephanie still didn't answer. No? Then how about a cheeseburger and fries, with a thick chocolate milkshake? They all could practically see Stephanie drooling, but still, she wouldn't say what she wanted.

Oh, all that food sounded _delicious_! Stephanie heard her stomach rumble, and she was sure the others could hear it too. She was conflicted. She'd never been allowed to get whatever she wanted at a restaurant - her mother and her boyfriends didn't want her to cost them too much money. So she always ate what they told her to. She looked at Tony, almost in tears, begging him with her eyes to make the decision for her.

Tony got the message - not sure _why_ Steph didn't want to make the decision for herself, so he made an executive decision. "Tell ya' what, Diane. Why don't you bring both? The pancakes _and_ the cheeseburger. That way she can see how good your breakfasts and your lunches are." He heard the small gasp from his sister, and felt her tensing up. "And you know that whatever she doesn't finish…"

Diane finished his sentence with a big smile, "you'll gladly finish for her, growing boy that you are." She rubbed Tony's head , then collected the menus, laughing when Gibbs mentioned Tony growing _out_, not _up_.

When the food was delivered, Stephanie didn't know where to start, it all looked so good, but there was so much! Her brother had ordered it, she had to eat it all. That was another rule - her mother didn't care if Stephanie was full. If they were spending money in a restaurant on her, she was damn well going to eat everything on her plate. So she dug into her meal, happy to be eating, yet sad at the same time.

Tony and Gibbs watched as Stephanie made an effort to eat everything in front of her. Tony felt bad that she felt she had to clean her plate, so he tried a joke. "Hey, I hope you're saving me something!" The joke backfired. He'd startled Stephanie so much that she jumped, knocking over her chocolate shake in the process. Tony heard a dismayed squeak, then saw Stephanie freeze in fear, her eyes following the river of chocolate running to the edges of the table. "It's ok, Stephanie," he said, hoping to put her at ease. "It's ok, it was an accident…."

Diane had come running over with a cloth to clean it up. Gibbs saw the girl was starting to hyperventilate. Probably expected him or Tony to, at the least, yell at her. If not worse. "Tony," he murmured, gesturing for the younger man to bring Stephanie outside. Staying was going to make her pass out. With a nod, Tony helped Stephanie out of her chair and led her out, telling her it was 'ok' the whole way. Gibbs handed Diane the money for their meals and apologized.

"Don't you apologize for that poor girl," Diane said firmly. "Just promise me you'll find the bastard that treated her so bad, and make him pay."

Gibbs gave her his determined smile - the one that made the bad guys cringe. "Count on it." He walked out to the cars, seeing Tony kneeling by Stephanie's side where she sat in the passenger seat, still trying to assure her that it was all ok. "Tony….."

Looking up, Tony read the orders in Gibbs' eyes, and nodded. "Got it, boss." Get Stephanie checked out by Ducky, then bring her to Abby. He'd planned on doing that anyway. Meeting the rest of the team could wait. Stephanie needed the warmth and genuine kindness that only Ducky and Abby could provide. Tony wiped away one more tear off her cheek, then stood and shut the door. Walking around to the driver's side. Stopping in the open door, he called to his boss. "Gibbs? Sometimes….." he left the statement dangling.

Gibbs understood exactly what his SFA was telling him. "Me, too, DiNozzo. Me, too." He got in the car and drove away. Yeah, sometimes he hated DiNozzos's father, too.

_**TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~NCIS~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY~~TABBY**_

**Well, what did you think? Let me know in a REVIEW! PLEASE! And THANK YOU for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N-**_**Wow! Thanks ya'll! Big thanks to all who reviewed, and salutes to all you alerters, favoriters, and followers. Learned something important - you all received thanks from Smush68 AGAIN. I answered from my email, but because I was stealing time on Smush's laptop, the replies came from her FF account, because she was signed in and I was not. I don't get it - if it's coming from MY email account, why does it matter who's signed in? Can anyone explain that to me? Anyway, I'm so happy you're liking my story! Well, here's another angst-filled chapter. Tony's got his work cut out for him! I think he can handle it, don't you? Let's find out!**

_**DiNOZZO'S THEORY OF RELATIVITY**_

**CHAPTER 3**

For probably the hundredth time since leaving the diner, Tony checked on his…._Stephanie_. She was still huddled against the car door, curled around that backpack of hers. Silent tears still rolled down her cheeks. Damn, the kid even _cried _silently. He may not have much…ok, _any_…experience with kids, but his heart just broke for her. Just a spilt milkshake, for God's sake, and she'd reacted like it was the end of the world. He reached out to put his hand on her head, but froze when she flinched away and whimpered. "Ok, Stephanie," he said softly and slowly, "I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to." Tony knew it wasn't his father, but someone was going to pay for hurting this child.

Tony saw Gibbs' car in the parking garage and knew the boss would have already prepared Ducky for their arrival. In her current state, Stephanie didn't need to be seeing dead bodies on display. As he pulled into his spot and turned off the car, he explained what they were going to do, so there'd be no unexpected surprises for her. "So, this is where I work. Well," he clarified, "not _here_ in the garage, but inside. The first thing we do is go through the security check. Nothing scary, just this wand they run up and down around you….like what they do at the airport. No one will touch you, we don't do that unless you're at least eighteen. And because you're a visitor - even though you're with me - your backpack will have to go through the x-ray machine….." He saw her eyes widen in panic. "Hey, it's ok, no one else has to touch it. You can put it in the bucket and pick it up on the other side, ok?" Stephanie's shoulders relaxed some. "You'll get a visitor's badge. You should wear it for a while, while we're walking around meeting people. After that, you're ok as long as you're with me or one of my friends. But be sure you wear it if you're walking around by yourself," his voice got stern, and he saw her tense up. "They won't do anything to _you_, just bring you back to my office. _But_….." he rolled his eyes in exaggeration, "_I'll_ get a lecture like you wouldn't _believe_ about 'the importance of following the rules,' and 'we have regulations for a reason,' blah, blah, blah." He got a twitch of the lips. 'On the right track, DiNozzo,' he thought. "And it's always Dale. He's in charge of visitor badges, I think." Tony pretended deep thought. "Yeah, I'm not sure _what_ it is Dale does. Other than lecture people on the importance of the visitor's badge." He cocked his head to the side, thinking. "Wonder how you get that job? What kind of qualifications do you need? Is there a school for that?" The corners of Stephanie's mouth started to tilt up, even if she wouldn't look at him.

"When we're walking around, if you keep your eyes open, I bet you'll be able to find Dale. He's this really short, kinda' chubby , old guy in blue pants and a white shirt with patches on the shoulder that he likes to point out. _Constantly_. He's almost bald, but the little hair he does have is white, and usually all messed up. Oh, and these really thick - I'm talkin' _double_ coke-bottle - glasses with thick, plastic, black frames, and he's _constantly_ pushing them back up on his nose." Tony imitated a funny move. "I swear, once I saw him giving another agent a lecture about the rules, and the glasses slid off his nose, just hanging in front of his mouth by the ear thingies, but ol' Dale didn't' miss a beat, just kept lecturing with his glasses bouncing up and down every time his mouth moved!" He chuckled, then sobered quickly. " 'course, when he was done, he put his glasses back…" he cleared his throat, " and gave _me_ a lecture too." He wanted to cheer when he heard the smallest of giggles. "_Ok_, so I _laughed_. But it was _funny_ - he's talking, and these black thingies are wiggling up and down in front of his mouth…." Tony demonstrated and laughed. Then suddenly stopped, rubbing the back of his head in remembrance. "But that wasn't funny, not funny at all. Let's see, where was I…..oh yeah, getting a visitor's badge. Once you have that, I'll take you to meet two of my favorite people. Ducky - he's not _really _a duck, don't worry, and probably his assistant, Jimmy. Jimmy's kind of a nerd, kinda' goofy. But he's a great guy. And then, we'll go see my most favorite person here at NCIS, our forensic specialist, Abby." Tony gave Stephanie a fake warning look. "But I'm warning you right now….she's a hugger. She's so happy and perky, she hugs anyone and everyone. I've told my boss that we should have Abby hug the confessions out of our suspects. And if she hugs too hard or too long, just tell her you can't breathe - that's what we all do. But I think you'll like her. She's a lot of fun."

Finished, he opened his car door and got out, slamming it shut behind him. He was almost to the elevator when he noticed Stephanie wasn't with him. He looked back and saw her still sitting in the car. What the…? He walked back and opened her door for her. "You coming?" Once again, like a puppy eager to please, she was quick to do as he asked, following him into the building. She stood where she was told, moved where they told her. The only problem was when the security officer tried to take her backpack to search it.

Standing at a desk a few feet away filling out a form to get her a permanent visitor's pass, Tony heard a sound of distress. He turned and saw the officer trying to grab Stephanie's backpack as she backed away in fright, doing her best to hold the pack away from his grasping hands.

"Kid, c'mon, I gotta' search the backpack. Hand it over."

Tony ran over, stepping between the little girl and the officer. "It's ok, man, she's with me."

The officer placed his hands on his hips. "I don't care if she's with POTUS! I still gotta' search the backpack!" He made to reach around Tony, but only got his arm twisted behind his back in an uncomfortable position. He squawked.

"Put your hands on my sister again and you'll be lucky to get a job guarding the carousel in the park," Tony growled in the man's ear. He released the officer and ushered his sister over to the x-ray conveyor, and showed her what to do. Once the pack had passed the entrance, Stephanie raced to the other side, grabbing it out of the bucket and holding it close.

Tony wanted to put an arm around Stephanie, but didn't dare for fear of scaring her even more than she already was. So he settled for stepping a bit closer. "You ok?" His heart stopped racing when she nodded. "That will_ never _happen again, I promise." He nodded down the hallway. "C'mon. We'll go see Ducky." He waited 'til he was sure she was following, then started down the hall. "Don't be surprised if he says that this all reminds him of a time when…._everything_ reminds him of a time when. He's got a story for every occasion. Don't worry if you zone out - I do all the time."

He noticed Stephanie's anxiety as they waited for the elevator. Was it the elevator, or being in such close quarters with him? Executive decision! "Ya' know, after that big meal," Tony patted his stomach. "I could use some exercise. What do you say we take the stairs?"

_**NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NICS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS/``NCIS/``NCIS~~NCIS~~NCIS**_

The doors to autopsy swished open and Tony started to enter, then turned. "It's ok, this is where Ducky works."

Ducky had done his best to make the atmosphere in autopsy comfortable and relaxed. Jethro had given him the 'heads up' as they say, on his next patient and his suspicions about her past. Poor girl. He had soft classical music playing in the background to make the room seem less sterile. He'd taken off his white lab coat, so he was just in shirtsleeves, bow tie, and suspenders, hoping to appear non-threatening. Hearing the doors swish open, he remained seated at his desk, but turned, not wanting to appear like he'd been expecting them. "Well, young Anthony, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Tony waited until a young girl joined him, standing a few feet to his side. "Hey Ducky. This is, uh, my…sister. Stephanie DiNozzo." Will it ever get easier to say that? "I wanted to bring her down to meet one of my friends here at NCIS."

"Hello, Miss Stephanie," Ducky replied happily, rising slowly to hold out a hand in greeting. The girl looked to her brother, who nodded, before she shook his hand. Well that's good, Ducky thought, she's starting to form a connection to her brother. "Welcome to my office. It's not often I have such beautiful company."

"Duck!" Tony cried. "You wound me!"

Ducky rolled his eyes. "Present company excepted," he grumbled, and smiled at the soft giggle from the girl. "Well don't just stand there, come in, come in." He led the way further into the room, past the steel exam tables. He noticed the girl stop and stare at the tables in fear. He didn't need his stethoscope to know her breathing had sped up - he could see her chest heaving. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. I thought you knew I was a doctor. But that's not why you're here, lass, I assure you. Come, sit here in my chair."

Stephanie gave the exam tables a wide berth and slid into Ducky's office chair. She glared at Tony, as if he'd betrayed her, or tricked her.

"Oh, don't be upset with Anthony, my dear. He just wants to make sure you're alright, that there's nothing bothering you, whether it be physical or mental," Ducky explained, noting the girl's attachment to her backpack. "Is there something special you're carrying around in that backpack of yours?" Stephanie glared at Ducky and pulled the pack closer. "Ah, I see," Ducky said wisely. "All your worldly possessions are in there, aren't they?" The young girl nodded grudgingly. "Well, I can certainly understand not wanting to lose sight of it. If you should change your mind about putting it down, neither Anthony nor I will take it away from you. Unless you should get tired of carrying it, in which case we would do out gentlemanly duty and carry it for you." Ducky sat in a nearby chair. "That reminds me of a time when I was younger, probably about your age, Anthony, and I was giving a lecture at Oxford. There was this beautiful young lady….."

Tony looked at Stephanie and rolled his eyes, as if to say, "didn't I tell you?" Keeping an ear on Ducky's story, Stephanie giggled just a little. "Yeah, ya' know, I think I'm going to take Stephanie up to meet Abby now, Duck," Tony interrupted, causing Stephanie to giggle again.

"Oh, yes, yes of course. Much more fun for a young lass with our Abigail than down here with a doddering old man." He ushered them to the door, and Tony handed the doctor the entire packet of papers his father had left for him.

"I don't know what's in here, haven't had time to really look at anything."

"Not to worry, Anthony. I'll give it all a thorough going-over, especially the ones in my area of expertise, then pass them on to Jethro for another read-through."

Tony saw Stephanie look at him questioningly at the mention of another name. "That's my boss, Gibbs. Jethro is one of his first names." Seeing she wanted to know his other first name, Tony gave an exaggerated shiver. "No way, you can't trick me into saying it. He's lurking somewhere close by, just waiting for me to say it so he can give me that glare that eats through your gut, and I'm still digesting lunch!" Stephanie rolled her eyes.

As Tony stepped through the door, Ducky bent down to talk quietly to Stephanie. "Miss Stephanie, I'm aware that you and Jethro didn't exactly start off on the right foot. But let me assure you - given the chance, Jethro Gibbs will be your staunchest ally. There's no one else I'd want in my corner if I was in trouble." Ducky stood back up, hoping he'd helped eliminate some of her fears. He was pleasantly surprised when the child held out her hand of her own accord. With a smile, the M.E. shook her hand. "Til we meet again, young Stephanie," Ducky watched them head for the stairs, Tony in the lead followed obediently by his sister. Walking back into autopsy, Ducky eyed the thick envelope and sat at his desk. "Well, Miss DiNozzo, let's see what your records can tell me that _you_ can not….."

_**~~*~~NCIS~~*~~NCIS~~*~~NCIS~~*~~**_

As they neared the lab, Tony noticed that while the music was loud, it wasn't as ear-breaking as usual. Gibbs must have gotten to Abby, too. He walked in and stopped, noticing Stephanie had stopped just outside the door with a worried look on her face. "It's ok, c'mon." He held out a hand to lead her in. She took a few hesitant steps, still looking worried. Tony gave her an understanding look. "She's going to love you, I promise." Then, to make her smile, he added, "Even if only because you're related to _me." _Stephanie rolled her eyes and walked past him confidently. "Even without words, you wound me." He followed her in. "Abby…Hey Abby!"

Abby gasped and turned around. "Tony!" She ran over and grabbed him in a hug.

At first, Stephanie was nervous at this woman's energy, but seeing she was truly happy to see her brother helped. She wasn't sure she was ready for a full-strength hug yet, but it sure looked nice….. "Abbs….Ab….can't breathe!" Tony rasped, making Stephanie giggle.

"Oh! Sorry Tony! I'm just so happy to see you! So happy _for_ you, finding out you have a sister after all these years! Oh! Is this her? Of course it is, that's definitely the DiNozzo smile….awwwwww, she's got your eyes! Well, a little greener than yours, but they're definitely your eyes….." Abby bent down and hugged Stephanie gently, still talking. "It's so good to meet you! I'm Abby - but then you probably already knew that…..you're Stephanie, right? Boy, have I got stories about your brother to tell you….!"

"Right here, Abbs," Tony complained.

When Abby would have pulled back, Stephanie held on a little bit longer. Her brother and his boss were right - Abby gave nice hugs.

Seeing his sister hang on to Abby a little longer, Tony knew he'd made the right decision to bring her to Abby. He caught Abby's eyes and silently thanked her.

Abby wrapped her arms around Stephanie again and wanted to cry, thinking of this sweet little girl so needy for a hug. Well, she would see to it that this child gets all the hugs she could ever want, or _her_ name's not Abby Sciuto!

Talking with their eyes, it was decided Stephanie would stay down with Abby a little while longer. As Abby hugged, Tony quietly left to go up to the bullpen. When he walked in, Gibbs gave him a questioning look. "Still with Abby."

Gibbs held up the thick packet of papers. "Conference room." The two men left the bullpen without a word to Ziva or Tim, who were left staring at each other, mouths hanging open.

_**NCIS**NICS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**CIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS****_

_**NCIS**_

_**Conference Room**_

Gibbs tossed the packet onto the table with a loud 'plop.' "These are all the custody papers, some school records. The custody papers are all legal and complete. Ducky's still tracking down medical records." He watched his normally confident SFA fidget with the packet. "Ya' ok, Tony?"

Tony tried to smile. "Dunno', boss. Ask me when I wake up."

Elbows propped on the table, Gibbs watched Tony closely. "There's also a form relinquishing custody of Stephanie to Children's Services….all it needs is your signature." He hid his surprise when Tony opened up and went through the packet, pulling out the Children's Services forms. He watched as Tony skimmed through it, went back and skimmed through it again. Then breathed a sigh of relief as Tony ripped it up. He wanted to tell the younger man he was proud of him, but now wasn't the time.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do with a kid…..but I don't need this." Tony played with the ripped pages. "The kid doesn't need to be farmed out again. She's had too much of that already." He looked with uncertainty at Gibbs. "Am I doing the right thing, boss?"

For just a moment, Gibbs saw the lonely, unsure boy in his Senior Agent. "What's your gut telling ya'?"

Tony smiled sarcastically. "Tape these contracts back together and sign 'em." He was quiet for a few minutes, thinking. "But I've been in kinda' the same place she is - I may have been dumped at boarding school, but…" Tony turned confused, pleading eyes to his boss, silently begging Gibbs to tell him what to do. "I'm in way over my head here, boss," he said sadly. "But I need to take her."

Gibbs studied the younger man he thought of as a son. He put a hand on Tony's shoulder, gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're not alone, son," he assured Tony. "You've got family to help you out. We've got your six. And Stephanie's, too."

If either he or Gibbs were hugging kinds of guys, Tony would have hugged his boss right then. He gave a silent sigh of relief. "Thanks, boss." Fiddling with the envelope, he cleared his throat. "Could we…not tell the others yet? The kid's had so much thrown at her today…I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop, ya' know?"

Gibbs nodded, squeezed Tony's shoulder in support again. "No rush, Tony. You tell 'em when you're both ready."

Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Tony said, "thanks, boss." He looked down at the packet, anxiety plain on his face.

" 'Ey…Tony…" Gibbs waited until Tony looked up at him, and put his hand on the younger man's cheek and gave it a little, gentle slap. "You can do this."

Tony saw the confidence in Gibbs' eyes and felt his own confidence rise. He nodded and took a deep breath. "I'll do my best, boss."

Standing, Gibbs headed for the door. "Ya' always do." At the door, he turned. "Go home. Get your sister settled in. Call ya' later to see how you're doing."

The panic kicked in again. Home? What was he supposed to do with her _there_?! He tried to remember if there was anything…child _un_friendly lying about. Lying….sleep! Where was she going to sleep? Yeah, he had a spare room, but…he couldn't remember if it even had a bed in it. Was there even any _food_ in the place? He couldn't remember the last time he actually cooked at home…he'd been doing take-out lately.

Sighing, Gibbs rolled his eyes. DiNozzo had been doing well up 'til now. "DiNozzo, if I didn't think it would freak the girl out more, I'd say come to my house….she's good with Abby?"

"They're probably still hugging."

It would set the team back, but.. "Take Abby with ya'. Go shopping. Don't let Abbs talk ya' into buying out the whole store."

Tony was relieved, not having to do this by himself. With Abby, shopping might actually be fun. "um, boss? How do I know what to get for her if she's not talking?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes again, wishing he was close enough to deliver a head slap. "You're an investigator, DiNozzo….figure it out." He left the room with a smirk.

Reaching for the packet of forms with one hand, Tony rubbed the back of his head with the other. Maybe Abby's been right all along, and Gibbs had magic powers. He'd _swear _he'd felt a head slap!

_**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**NCIS**_

Exiting the elevator, Tony headed into the lab. He'd been to the bullpen, gotten his gear and left, leaving a still-confused McGee and Ziva in his wake.

He came to a sudden stop when he heard the music. Make that, _didn't_ hear it. Like Ducky, Abby had opted for smooth, relaxing music instead of her usual ear-deafening stuff. Leaning against the refrigerator - _his_ spot - was the…his…_Stephanie_ (he had to get used to calling her that if she was staying!), once again sobbing in silence, and a distraught Abby on her knees in front of the girl, trying to calm her down. Great, just what he needed - _two _crying females. He must have made some kind of sound because Abby looked up and gasped.

"Tony!"

Abby jumped up and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "Abbs…can't…can't breathe, Abbs!" She lightened up but didn't let go, talking faster than he'd ever heard her talk.

"….and I didn't know what to do, and she just sat herself down right there by the fridge, just like you do, isn't that weird? It's like some crazy psychic brother/sister thing, and…."

"Abby! What's going on? What happened?"

Abby took a breath. "We were doing fine until she realized you weren't here anymore." She played with her hands nervously. "Through some investigation - she cried more for 'yes' and less for 'no' - I figured out that she thought you were leaving her here for _good_. She's been like this ever since." Abby was near tears herself. "I told her that you'd just gone upstairs and would be back, even offered to videophone you. But she just kept crying! And so _quietly_! It's _scary_, Tony….I didn't know what to do?"

Tony ran a hand through his hair in anxious frustration, confidence wavering again.

Abby fidgeted. "I uh…I kinda' found out why she's so attached to the backpack…I think. That's everything she owns in there. Another pair of jeans, a shirt, one pair of clean underwear…..a falling apart, old chapter book, and a stuffed dog. That's _it_. That's _all _she has, Tony! How can one little girl have only two sets of clothes? I just want to sit and cry with her. What do I do?"

Sighing, Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "Get your stuff." At her wondering look, he explained, "Boss is sending you shopping with me and…Stephanie," he said, remembering to use her name this time.

"Shopping?" Abby's face lit up. "Oooo! I know the perfect place to find…"

He took Abby by the arms and turned her around. "First…get her up off the floor….and see if you can stop….all this," he gestured to the crying.

Abby shrugged. "Well I can _try_…..but _I'm_ not the one she thought left her here….she needs to see _you_, needs to know you came back for her."

Tony sighed, feeling helpless. Somehow he'd known she was going to say that. "Back me up if I get stuck?"

"I've got your six, Tony," Abby smiled.

Walking over to the fridge, Tony was trying to think of something to say. "This is my favorite spot to sit when I need to think, too," he said casually, squatting down in front of the little girl. He wanted to reach out to her - put a hand on her knee, wipe tears off her cheek - but he thought it would scare her. "Steph? I'm back, kiddo…"

She picked her head up off her knees, tears streaming down her face, a look of shock on her face. He came back? He'd come back for her?

"I'm sorry I didn't let you know where I was going… I should have said something. I'm sorry you thought I wasn't coming back. I didn't mean to scare you." Tony could tell she was having a war within herself - a part of her wanted to keep her distance, while another part wanted to jump into his arms. He wasn't sure what _he_ wanted to happen, either. "But I'm here. And I could use some help. Gibbs - you remember my boss - he gave me the rest of the day off to go shopping, and I need your help picking stuff out. What do you say? You up for a shopping trip?" He saw she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. "And guess what - Abby, here, is coming with us. Shopping is much more fun with her around!" Stephanie looked over at Abby, who nodded happily, big smile on her face. Tony sighed in relief when the younger girl scrambled up off the floor and headed over to Abby, backpack hugged tightly to her chest again. He pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Ok, ladies, where to first? Groceries?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "To-o-o-o-o-o-ooony!" she teased. "You can't do groceries first! What if you get frozen stuff - it'll be thawed and cooked by the time you finally get it home!" She turned to Stephanie, excitement in her eyes. "What do you think, Steph? Clothes or furniture and stuff?" When the girl looked at her wide-eyed, Abby continued on, like Stephanie had answered. "You're right, let's get the housewares out of the way first. Then we can take our time looking for clothes. I know this really cool store…."

Stephanie looked back at Tony, dazed, following after Abby. Tony rolled his eyes. "Yep, she's _always_ like this. Get used to it, kid," he joked, trailing along behind the ladies like a good servant boy should. This was going to be a lo-o-o-ooong afternoon.

_**NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS**_

Abby moved quickly through the furniture store, heading for the children's department. She was followed by an awed, wide-eyed Stephanie, who in turn was followed more slowly by an already exhausted Tony. This was their third store, and he was dead on his feet. And lighter in the wallet. There was no stopping Abby when she was on a roll.

Finally in the children's section, Tony plopped himself down on a bed and let himself fall backward onto it. "Wake me up when it's time to pay for it." Abby was running all around, taking in all the different bedroom motifs, calling Stephanie from one side of the room to the other, each find more exciting than the next.

"Oooooohhhhh! '**Hello Kitty**!' I _love_ '**Hello kitty**,' don't you?" Abby cooed, picking up pillows and hugging them. The entire room model was adorned in the pink and white color scheme of the character. "And a four poster bed! I've always wanted one of these! Isn't it great?" She bounced up and down on the mattress. She didn't see the anxiety in Stephanie's eyes.

Stephanie didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do….she'd never been allowed to pick out anything of her own. There was so much to choose from! And it was all so expensive…..she glanced at the price tag of the bed and almost threw up. She couldn't spend that much money! But Abby kept telling her to come look, asking her if she liked things…..just because she liked it didn't mean she could have it, her mother always told her. Her last bed had been a mattress with ill-fitting sheets laid on the floor. Her closet had been a cardboard box on the floor for her clothes. And she'd been fine with that, it was enough. Trying not to cry, she looked up to see that Abby had moved on again to another 'room.'

Tony hadn't really been sleeping, he'd been covertly watching Stephanie. Her lack of enthusiasm didn't seem to bother Abby. Observing the younger girl closely, he saw that it wasn't that she was unenthusiastic…she was overwhelmed. This was a kid who's entire life fit in a backpack - with room to spare. He'd seen her trying to sneakily check out prices, and the shock on her face when she read it. They were going about this whole shopping thing the wrong way - Stephanie was never going to pick something out for herself - she'd been trained not to want things. He made his way around to Abby, where Stephanie couldn't see him, and explained the problem. Which of course, initially made Abby upset, thinking that she was overwhelming the poor girl. But she instantly cheered up when she heard Tony's plan.

Quietly summoning a sales associate, Tony and Abby briefly explained the problem and their solution to it. The woman was more than happy to oblige. She began to talk in normal business tones with Tony and Abby, looking like they were having a normal discussion about furniture, but they were really watching Stephanie. The girl was walking around, looking at everything. When she got that wistful look on her face, Tony or Abby would signal the sales lady, who then wrote the object or piece of furniture down. It took a good hour, but by the time they'd finished, they had a complete bedroom set for Stephanie - and she'd picked it out all on her own without realizing it. Abby quietly suggested a pink and purple color scheme, guessing from the little girl's well-loved backpack that those were her favorite colors. Tony went up front with the sales lady to pay for everything and arrange for delivery while Abby kept an eye on Stephanie. Seeing how forlorn the girl looked made Abby sad. She made a silent - but fervent - vow to herself that from this day forward, little Stephanie would never have to wear that look again. She walked up to her and asked if she was ready to go. Stephanie nodded, looking for Tony.

"Oh, he's already gone out to the car…" She hadn't expected the look of panic on the girl's face, as Stephanie made to run for the door. Oh no! They can't keep Tony waiting! He'll leave without them! Her mom didn't like waiting for her, and Stephanie had learned that if mom said she wasn't waiting, she wasn't waiting.

Abby reached out and grabbed Stephanie. "It's ok, it's ok! He's not upset, I promise. It's kind of a 'guy thing' - they all _hate_ shopping, so they all like to sit in the car and listen to sports on the radio or something. Can you imagine? _Not_ liking shopping?!" Abby kept up a constant stream of one-sided conversation as she casually led the younger girl to the door.

Clothes shopping at the Pentagon City Mall was a whole 'nother story. After figuring out Stephanie would never pick anything out for herself, Abby and Tony hatched a plan, keeping a close eye on Stephanie as she looked around the humongous galleria in wonder. They'd get the young girl to pick out a few pieces, then Abby would shop for her secretly. Tony would tell the sales clerks that Abby was authorized to use his credit card, and he and Stephanie would go sightseeing in the rest of the mall while Abby pretended she was shopping for herself.

Stephanie couldn't believe the size of this place! Oh, it was beautiful! But so big! Both Abby and Tony had explained that she needed new clothes, and for her to pick out a few of everything, which she did very reluctantly. She did her best to pick out the cheapest stuff, but Tony drew the line at cheap shoes. He insisted she have the best shoes the stores had to offer. He made her pick out a pair of sneakers, a couple of casual shoes, and one dress-up pair, apologizing when she began to cry silently, but adamant that she have what she needed. Once they were back out in the mall, the sheer largeness of it made her forget all about the shoes. She'd been bumped and jostled by many people already, and she was afraid of losing her brother. After another bump pushed her a little bit away from Tony, she grabbed onto his hand with a small whimper. He looked down at her with a smile.

"Whoa! Good thing you grabbed hold of me - I was afraid I'd get lost!" Tony looked at his watch. It was nearing 7 pm, and he didn't know about Steph, but _he_ was getting hungry. "Whaddya say we go meet Abby and get out of here? We can get some groceries and go home, have some dinner. Sound good?" He smiled again when she nodded tiredly. "Then off to the kitchen we go, kiddo."

They collected Abby….and all one hundred of her bags. Well, ok, maybe there weren't _that _many, but there was enough to fill the trunk and the back seat of Tony's NCIS car - Stephanie was sitting on a pile of shopping bags! Tony just groaned at seeing them all.

By unspoken agreement, Tony loaded all but the few bags of clothes Stephanie had chosen for herself into Abby's car, planning on adding to the girl's wardrobe and bedroom a little at a time. "Ok, everything's crammed in there," he teased, handing Abby back her keys. "Try not to hit any bumps - I don't want to hear about a clothing explosion on the Beltway." He grabbed Abby up in a big hug. "Thanks for everything, Abbs," he whispered in her ear.

Abby gave him an extra little squeeze. "Anything for you, Tony-Boy. _And _for your sister." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the young girl shifting uneasily from foot to foot. With a smooch to Tony's cheek, she turned and hugged Stephanie. She could feel the girl trembling. "Don't you worry, sweetie," she whispered in the little girl's ear. "Your big brother is one of the _best_ people I know. He doesn't know much about kids, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to learn, ok?" Abby felt rather than saw Stephanie nod. "And you've got a phone now, so you can call or text me _any_ time. I don't care what time of day or night is….I'll always answer, I promise." She kissed the younger girl on the head. "And give Tony a chance, alright?"

Stephanie nodded a little sadly. She hated to see Abby go. She felt safe with her - Abby understood her. And she gave lots of hugs. She clung a few minutes more, willing herself not to cry.

Abby gave Tony another kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush. "Ok, c'mon, kiddo," he turned to his sister….huh…that was getting easier, calling her his sister. "We'll come back tomorrow, and you can hang with Abby then, ok?" He felt bad, seeing Stephanie so sad, but she dutifully followed him back to their car and got in, waving sadly until she couldn't see Abby anymore. Man, he hated seeing this little girl so sad. "Why don't you text her?" Surprised eyes met his. "You remember how to use the text feature on the phone we got you, right?" Stephanie nodded slowly. "And Abby's number is programmed in already, number 1 on speed-dial." he pretend-pouted. "I still don't think that that was done for alphabetical reasons," he teased, and was rewarded with a tiny giggle. "So go ahead, text her. She'll answer, just like she promised." Tony saw the girl bite her lip, nervous. "It's ok, Steph, that's why I got you the phone, so you can get in touch with Abby and me anytime you need to, however much you need to," he said quietly and surely. He smiled when she slowly pulled out her phone and turned it on, watching him the whole time, in case he changed his mind.

Stephanie slowly pulled Abby's number up and thought hard about what to say. She had so much bottled up, but didn't want to overdo it. So she slowly typed in her message and hit send, relieved when she looked over and saw her brother smiling at her.

"Give her a few minutes to answer - if she's driving, she has to pull over. Abby _never _texts and drives."

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_**NCIS**_

_**ABBY'S LAB**_

The text tone on her phone interrupted Abby's re-creation of the whole shopping trip for Gibbs. "Oh! It's her! Tony and I picked out a phone for Stephie - it's got a great GPS locator in it - we'll be able to track her cross-country if we need to. Anyway, I told her she could call or text me anytime, and she already did!"

Gibbs smiled indulgently. "Aren't you going to answer it?"

Abby's mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh yeah!" She opened up the phone and brought up her texts, finding the one from Stephanie. She opened it and read it, a tear escaping down her cheek. "Oh, Gibbs…."

Gibbs worried when Abby pushed her way into his arms for a hug, and he wondered what the text had said. He took the phone and read the message:

"**thank you Abby."**

He didn't see why that was so heart-wrenching - must be a woman thing.

"It's the first time she's reached out to communicate, Gibbs! This is a big deal!" Abby explained, pulling out of his arms and answering the text.

_**NCIS-CIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS**_

The beeping of her new phone startled Stephanie. She hurried to open it and read Abby's message:

"**You are more than welcome ((hugs!)). Hope you had as much fun as I did! Come see me tomorrow! ((hugs!)) Abby**

Looking over, Tony saw Stephanie smiling and crying, and he wanted to cry, too. That something as simple as a text would mean so much to her…."I'll warn ya' right now, kiddo - Abby's texts can be just as rambly as when she talks, so don't be surprised if she sends a message the size of a novel." He felt more than saw the eye roll. "Hey, you haven't known me long enough to be fed up with me yet," he teased he with a smile.

Ok-maybe having a kid sister around wouldn't be so bad after all….

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_**A/N - **_**Ah yes, famous last words, Tony! Hope you liked this next installment - PLEASE drop me a REVIEW and let me know what you think - it would most definitely make my decade! Thanks, ya'll! **

**STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N- Howdy folks! I know it's been ages since I've updated - sorry about that. This crazy, little thing called 'Real Life' happened, playing havoc with everything in my little world. HATE when that happens! Thanks to Smush68 for always being there for me, like a good friend should be. And thanks to all of YOU, who've followed, alerted, favorited, and reviewed so far. Nothing like some FF love to make one feel special! Keep up the good work, all ya'll! **_

**DiNOZZO'S THEORY OF RELATIVITY**

**CHAPTER 4**

Juggling several shopping bags, Tony unlocked and opened the door to his apartment, stood aside to let Stephanie, carrying her own set of bags, in first. "Well, here it is, Chez DiNozzo," he said with a sigh. Stephanie's flinch when the door shut behind them did not go unnoticed. "Tell you what, let's just put all these," he held up the stuffed bags, "right over here by the table." He unceremoniously plopped the bags down on the floor. It took the young girl a minute or two to gather her courage to be 'messy,' and she carefully set her bags on the floor near the ones Tony had dropped.

Tony saw Stephanie's eyes sparkle when she say his goldfish. "That's Kate," he said softly. He smiled at her raised eyebrow in his direction. "Named her after one of my partners at NCIS, Kate Todd." Seeing the question in her eyes, he swallowed hard, a moment of sadness sweeping over him as it always did when he thought about Kate. "She, uh," he began, blinking back tears, "she's not there anymore." He wondered if he should leave it at that, but felt compelled to tell his sister the whole thing. "She, uh, used to work for the Secret Service. You know, the guys that protect the President? Yeah, Gibbs and I worked with Kate on a case involving Air Force One. Gibbs offered her a job with our team. She was my partner for almost three years. She was, um…shot…killed in the line of duty." Tony saw the sympathy on Stephanie's face, the tears in her eyes. "It's ok, now. But sometimes, after a rough day at work, I can come home and still talk it over with Kate, ya' know? Like she's still here. Only _this_ Kate," Tony pointed to the fish, "can't tell me to 'cut it out' or to 'grow up,' or call me juvenile. _This_ Kate is perfect!" He smiled.

Stephanie felt a little safer with her brother when she saw that he had a pet - even if it was just a fish. He named it Kate? Oh, how sad! He may be trying to act all cool about Kate the Fish, but she could tell he still missed his old partner. "I had a fish once." Whoa! Was that rusty voice hers? Oh man, she'd vowed to keep quiet, to be good, so Tony wouldn't send her away like everyone else! She could feel her throat getting tight, her breathing getting more rapid. He didn't tell her she could talk!

Hearing another voice almost made Tony jump. Seeing how nervous Stephanie was, he forced himself to relax, pretend everything was normal. "Oh yeah? Like Kate?" Stephanie just shrugged. Tony hoped she didn't' clam up again. They were finally starting to make some kind of progress.

"It was oranger," she said softly. "Her name was Lucy."

"For 'I Love Lucy' Lucy?" Tony came near to doing a Happy Dance when Stephanie nodded. This arrangement might work out after all! "Loooooo-seeee! You got some 'splainin' to do!" It was his best Desi Arnaz impression, but the corners of Steph's mouth barely twitched to a smile. "So. What kind of trouble did _your_ Lucy get into?"

Head down, Stephanie couldn't look at Tony, afraid he'd agree with what happened. "She belonged to _me_," she whispered sadly.

Tony was getting a very bad feeling about this. "How did that cause trouble?"

"Not the _fish_. _Me_. I'd made Mitch mad. He took Lucy in her bowl….put her in the microwave…."

This had better not be ending the way his gut was telling him it would, Tony thought to himself.

"He said, 'don't cry, take your punishment,' then turned it on…..Lucy…..the water boiled…..she….she….ex-exploded…." Silent tears ran down her cheeks. Stephanie knew better than to cry, had to be silent and not bother the grown ups with her problems.

Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. To do something so heinous…and in front of a child…. "Was Mitch your mom's boyfriend?" he asked quietly, closing his eyes against his own tears when she nodded. The little girl looked so devastated, yet terrified, at the same time. He got down on his knees in front of her. "I promise you, Steph, nothing like that will _ever_ happen here." Her shrug - like this kind of treatment was expected, normal - stabbed him in the heart. "What this…Mitch…did, it was _wrong_. So wrong, Stephanie. There's no reason or excuse good enough for _ever_ hurting animals. _Or_ children. You know that, right?" Watching her trying to hold back her tears of grief and fear, Tony wanted to reach out. Somehow. "No one will ever hurt you again, sweetheart. Not Mitch. Not your mom, not any of her other boyfriends. And most definitely not _me_." He asked, before he could talk himself out of it, "would it be ok if I gave you a hug? I think we could both use one right about now."

Head still down, not meeting Tony's eyes, Stephanie nodded slowly. Hopefully he wouldn't hug her the way most of her mother's boyfriends tried to hug her. She took a few steps forward and leaned against Tony, who'd spread his arms wide for her to step into. She soon realized that this was nice, being hugged by Tony. He didn't squeeze too tight, he didn't try and touch places he shouldn't. In fact, he barely held her at all. He didn't smell of stale cigarettes and beer. He smelled…nice. She pressed a little closer, hesitantly raising her own arms to wrap around Tony's neck. And she didn't even mind it when he held her a little tighter. Even his clothes smelled nice, not like sweat, or like he hadn't had a bath in weeks. His shirt against her skin even _felt_ clean. She could hear his heartbeat, feel it on her cheek. Letting her body relax a bit, Stephanie sniffled, still trying not to cry. Hugging was one thing. Putting up with a whiny, crying brat was another. Her brother sighed, and she heard him sniffle, too. _He_ was crying? Grown up boys don't cry….but she heard him snuffle again, felt a tear on the top of her head, where his cheek rested. Well…if _he_ could cry….the sobs exploded out of her, crying for Lucy the Fish, for Tony's friend Kate….and maybe, just maybe….for herself.

Tony may not prefer to deal with crying females, but just this once he'd make an exception. This little girl had been through so much in her short life, and he vowed to himself then and there that he was in this for the long haul. He may not have any clue what to do with kids, but he figured he and Stephanie could learn together. And Gibbs would be there if Tony ever got stuck. He sighed and pulled his little sister closer. He had a long road ahead of him, but it would be worth it.

_**NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS**_

Tony had no idea how long he and Stephanie had been hugging, but judging by the pain in his knees from kneeling on the floor, it had been a while. The tears had stopped, leaving shuddering sighs in their wake. A gurgle made them both freeze, trying to figure out what the noise was. When it happened again, Stephanie softly giggled, and Tony realized it was his stomach. "Uh oh. Looks like we forgot to feed the monster living in my stomach." He smiled when Stephanie hesitantly giggled again. "Don't laugh, kiddo. You're a DiNozzo. You've got a monster in _your_ belly, too!" He teasingly poked the little girl's belly, causing another giggle. "What say we feed these monsters of ours? I was going to cook something, but shopping with Abby wore me out. Want to order pizza?" Tony patted himself on the back. Every kid liked pizza! He felt Stephanie nod against his chest. "Ok, pizza it is. What do you like on yours?"

Stephanie began to panic again. Choose her pizza topping? She'd never been allowed to do that. Her mother always said that she should be thankful just to be _getting_ pizza, and to not complain about what was or wasn't on it. And she hadn't been allowed to pick off something if she didn't like it, either. Eat it and be happy she was getting it, she was told.

Tony felt his sister's body go rigid again, and realized this was just like what happened at the diner. Jeez, hadn't the girl ever picked her own pizza? "How about peanut butter and lima beans? Mmmmm, delish!" His hear sank when, after a tense moment, she just nodded. "Okra and cabbage?" Again, another sad nod. "Hey." He pushed Stephanie away from his chest a bit so he could look in her eyes. Once he tilted her head up with a finger under her chin. "You're with _me_ now, Steph. You're _allowed_ to choose your own pizza topping. Pizza is supposed to be fun, and what's fun about eating something you don't like? So if there's something in particular you like on your pizza, I _want_ you to tell me, ok?" He waited for a nod that never came. "Ok?" He all but ordered, satisfied when she finally gave in and nodded. "Now, I'm on a first name basis with the guys at the pizza place, I'm their best customer. So even if there _was _something crazy you wanted on your pie, they'd do it, just for me. You can get whatever topping you want, as _many_ as you want." He could see she was beginning to feel overwhelmed, so he started simply. "Ok, how 'bout this. Tell me _one thing_ you absolutely _love_ on your pizza, besides cheese."

"Black olives," Stephanie answered in a whisper, her stomach in knots, expecting to be yelled at for voicing an opinion.

"Excellent choice! Now name me something else you like," he smiled.

"Choke hearts?" Again in a quiet voice, still afraid.

Tony was confused. Choke hearts? "I don't know what those….oh! You mean _artichoke_ hearts?" He felt guilty when a tear ran down her cheek. He brushed it away gently. "It's ok, Steph. If you want them, you can have them. I just didn't think that a kid your age would even know what artichoke hearts are. I don't think _I _did at ten." He smiled when she stopped crying. "Ok, two good choices so far. Now, give me one more. Want some help?" He started naming off items when the young girl nodded. "All I ask is, _please!_ No spinach! It's just wrong to ruin fun food with spinach!" Her giggle was music to his ears. He used his very special agent investigative skills and watched her eyes. They told him when he'd said something she liked. But he wanted her to _tell_ him. "C'mon, kiddo. Don't make me pick peanut butter as the last topping." He smiled when she screwed up her face. "Hey, don't knock it. The sister of one of my partners eats it that way. Never been brave enough to try it myself, though. So don't make me start now, ok? Just one more thing, and we can order."

"S-sausage?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Do you _like_ sausage?" Stephanie shook her head. "Then why would you put it on your pizza? Tell me something _you _like."

"H-hamburg?" She cringed, expecting a blow.

Seeing her cringe, Tony wanted to hit something. Better yet, some_one_. "Do you like hamburg?" He smiled when she nodded silently. "Then hamburg it shall be, with black olives and artichoke hearts. Sound good?" Tony stood when she nodded, but was unprepared for the bear hug he received around his waist. Of all the things for Abby to teach her, he thought to himself with a laugh.

_**NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS**_

The pizza was long since finished, and Stephanie was sleeping. Well, she was in _bed_. If she was sleeping was another story. There'd been a bit of a thing over sleeping arrangements. Such as, just because she would be sleeping in Tony's bed, didn't mean _he_ would be, also. Oh she never came right out and said it, but the panic was clear as crystal on her face. He showed her the lock on the door, told her she was more than welcome to use it, he wanted her to feel safe here. It was now an hour later, close to eleven pm, and he was still pacing, brooding over this latest development. Only instead of calming him down, all the thinking about what may have happened to his sister made him angrier by the minute. When a knock came softly at the door, Tony whipped it open, ready to let loose his anger on whoever decided to disturb him. "Boss."

Gibbs took in Tony's posture - he didn't miss the clenched fist at his side - and the look in his eye. He'd only ever seen that look a few times before, and each time it involved one of the women on their team. When Kate was killed, and Abby shot at in her lab. When that fool Mawer was stalking Abby, and she got trapped in the van with a killer. And most recently when they'd gone to Somalia to avenge Ziva. "Things not going well, DiNozzo?"

Minutes later, sitting in the kitchen so they wouldn't wake up Stephanie (if she wasn't already still awake), Tony poured out everything that had happened since they'd gotten home earlier that night to Gibbs, from talking about Kate the Fish to showing Stephanie how to lock the bedroom door. "This is nuts, boss. This morning, the only thing on my mind was solving the missing persons case. Now I've got a sister - a much _younger_, little sister, who apparently has been through hell for the last ten years. As a federal agent, I know what to do. But as a big brother? I've never been a brother before, boss. What if I screw up with her just as badly as everyone else has?"

"'Ey," Gibbs said softly, putting a supportive hand on Tony's shoulder. "Just the fact that you're worried about screwing up means you're already on the right path. Sounds crazy, but it's true. When Kelly was born….Shannon and I were complete wrecks. Still remember the first time I burped her. She'd burped up some formula, and I thought I'd patted her back too hard and hurt her. Her first sniffle, her first step, her first bump, her first skinned knee…..all of it petrified me. But you do your best to fix it and move on to the next, hoping that you learned something from the last time that can help you this time." he gave his SFA's shoulder a squeeze. "The most important thing you can do is love her, son. And I know you already do, otherwise this wouldn't bother you so much."

Tony just nodded. He wasn't really registering what Gibbs was saying, but just having the older man here with him calmed him. Gibbs could always make things right. "I was going to ask to take tomorrow off, but if it's ok, I'd like to come in and talk to Ducky. Steph can stay with Abby for a while. I need to know what Ducky's found out in her medical records."

"I think Abby would be offended if you _didn't_ bring Stephanie down to her," Gibbs joked, walking to the door. "Get some rest. Come in whenever. Gimmee a call when you're on your way, and I'll make sure Duck and Abbs are clear for Stephie."

Tony sighed, "With all this running through my head, I don't know how I'll sleep, but…I'll try." He looked his mentor in the eye. "Thanks, boss."

Gibbs smiled. Tony looked like a confused, little boy. "What I'm here for, DiNozzo. Oh - no cold pizza for breakfast. _Real_ food, DiNozzo," he said with a laugh, walking down the hallway.

Tony froze. They'd just finished dinner, now he had to think about _breakfast_? "But what if she _wants_ cold pizza?" he yelled down the hall. "Boss? Hey, boss? Gibbs?"

_**NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS**_

_**A/N - This is where I shamelessly BEG AND PLEAD for REVIEWS! A little something I learned from my Bestie, SMUSH68, who's stories are fantabulous - I implore you to go read them if you like Tony stories, more specifically, if you like TABBY stories, although she writes about Tony/OC, too. Just ask Mandielouluvsewe and LifelessApril!**_ _**So please, please, please, PLEASE REVIEW! (Was that enough 'pleases'? Cuz I can do more if you need me too…) Thanks, and love to you all!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**DiNOZZO'S THEORY OF RELATIVITY**_

**CHAPTER 2**

Tony didn't sleep well that night, between listening for Stephanie and the picture she'd begun to paint for him of her short life so far. All of a sudden, Senior was looking like Father of the Year material, compared to the girl's mother. He wondered if he could file charges against the woman for abuse and neglect. He'll have to go back and check on the statute of limitations on that.

He must have dozed off at some point, because sounds from the kitchen woke him up. It took him a second to remember that there was someone else in the place now, so he didn't need his service weapon. He stayed put, thinking Stephanie must have wanted a drink of water or a midnight snack. Yeah, like she'd ever just get up and help herself, he thought sarcastically. He quietly made his way to the kitchen, not wanting to scare her. What he saw shocked him.

Stephanie was setting the table, full place settings, right down to the napkins. When she finished, she looked over at the clock on the microwave and grimaced. Then, as the digits changed to the next number, she set upon putting things into the dishwasher, then again checking the time. Then she took everything out of the dishwasher and put it all back where it belonged, and checked the time again. Which was 1:53 AM. She seemed very anxious about something, so Tony decided to make himself known. He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes, acting like he was still half-asleep. He stopped short, pretending to be surprised the lights were on. "Oh, hey," he grumbled sleepily. "Lookin' for a midnight snack, too? You really _are_ a DiNozzo," he joked. Seeing her frightened state, he smiled kindly. "This is your place too, Steph. You can help yourself to anything in the fridge or cupboards. Anytime you want, ok?" She was still rigid, wouldn't look him in the eye, head down. "Ok?" he asked a little louder. He grinned and walked to the fridge, even though she hadn't answered him. "Ok. Now, I could do with a little something, how about you?" He scanned the contents. "You didn't eat much dinner, so you must be starving. Let's see, we got….cold pizza….there's lasagna…tiramisu….gumbo…." Looking over at his sister, he saw her roll her eyes. "What?" he asked innocently. Stephanie grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter, and after making sure with a look that it was ok, she took a big bite and chewed it, big smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, Miss Eating Healthy Show Off." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile grow wider. "Ok, ok. I guess an apple in the middle of the night won't shock my system too much." He picked up an apple, tossed it in the air and caught it. "C'mon. Let's watch a movie while we eat."

In the way of all gentleman, Tony ushered Stephanie out in front of him, turning out the light as he left. Only to almost knock the poor child over. He'd expected she'd go on over to the couch and get comfortable, but she was barely through the doorway. As he walked by, she fell into step behind him, like a trained puppy. Ok, one _more_ thing to work on.

_**NCISL'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTERNCIS**_

At the deep clearing of a throat, Stephanie froze. Uh oh. She'd woken Tony up! She'd been practicing setting up and clearing the dinner table so he wouldn't be mad that it didn't done fast enough. _That_ he might only yell at her for, but waking him up? The various punishments she'd received over the years flashed through her head, and she wondered which Tony would favor for this. Her mom usually just got grumpy and yelled. But Arty had _really_ hated being woken up. She'd done it on accident. He was so mad, he beat her on the back with his belt, so it would hurt too much for her to lie down. If _he _couldn't sleep, he said, neither could _she_.

"Oh, hey. Lookin' for a midnight snack too? You really _are_ a DiNozzo!"

A midnight snack? Eat in the middle of the night? Do people really do that? She'd never been allowed to eat when it wasn't mealtime…..

"This is your place too, Steph. You can help yourself to anything in the fridge or cupboards. Anytime you want, ok?" Touch things that aren't hers? What if she accidentally ate something _he_ wanted? "Ok?" Even though she didn't say anything, her brother smiled and went to the fridge. "Ok. Now, I could do with a little something, how about you?" He scanned the contents. "You didn't eat much dinner, so you must be starving. Let's see, we got….cold pizza….there's lasagna…tiramisu….gumbo…." He was really going to eat stuff like that in the middle of the night? If he _had_ to eat now, it could at least be something nutritious. "What?" he asked innocently. She grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter. Ooops…better make sure it was ok to take one of these…..he was _really_ going to let her eat something now? She _was_ hungry - she'd been too scared to eat much pizza. Not that she'd ever been allowed to have more than a couple of slices at a time anyway. Oh well, here goes nothing… she took a big bite and smiled at the befuddled look on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, Miss Eating Healthy Show Off." She had to hold back the giggle. Her brother was funny! "Ok, ok. I guess an apple in the middle of the night won't shock my system too much." He picked up an apple, tossed it in the air and caught it. "C'mon. Let's watch a movie while we eat."

She hustled out of the kitchen - didn't want to wreck Tony's good mood. Watching a movie when she's supposed to be in bed? She stopped right outside the kitchen doorway. What if he was kidding, and he punished her for making herself comfortable? She'd better wait and go after him, make sure she was really allowed. Oh fudge! She'd been in his way….she saw the annoyed look on his face….there goes the movie….she'd better follow to get her punishment. Suddenly she didn't want the apple so much anymore.

_**L'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTER**_

Tony walked over to his entertainment center to see what he had for kids' movies. What did ten year old girls like to watch? Do they still do the whole Disney Princess thing? Or do they like other animated stuff? He turned to ask and saw Steph hanging her head, tears on her cheeks. He thought hard to think what he might have done to scare her, but came up empty. "So….uh….this is what I have for kid-friendly stuff….you can take a look, see if there's anything you like…." When she didn't respond, didn't move toward the shelves, Tony took a step toward her, stopping when he saw her cringe with fear. "Steph? Don't you want to pick a movie?" he asked quietly.

"Before you punish me?" she whispered sadly, afraid to look at him.

Huh? _Punish_ her? He squatted down in front of her to make himself look less imposing. "Why would I punish you, Steph? You haven't done anything that needs punishment." Tony put a finger under her chin and gently tilted it up so she'd look at him. "Look at me, sweetheart." He stared into her eyes so she'd see the truth. "You haven't done anything wrong. And even if you had…punishments in this house will _never_ involve hurting you. It never should no matter where you are. Now I'm new to this whole kid/sister thing, and I'm not sure exactly how these things work. But I know it will never involve physically hurting you. No hitting, no belt….nothing." He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "There'll be time-outs in your room. Maybe taking away your phone or something for a little while. But never any hurting. I promise." He was kind of shocked when Stephanie fell into his arms for a hug, but he'd take it! He held her for a moment, trying not to shiver when he felt apple flesh rub on his hair. Eeew, gross! When she gave a shuddering sigh, Tony put an arm around her and carried her with him when he stood up. "Now, let's go pick a video to watch with our snack."

_**NCISL'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTERNCISL'IL SISTERNCIS**_

Tony climbed into his bed and pulled the covers up with a sigh, hands behind his head. It was a couple of hours after the kitchen incident, and he was tired. He and Stephanie had watched "Lilo and Stitch" while they ate their midnight apples, dropping the cores into a china bowl on the coffee table - because they could. Stephanie had fallen asleep about half-way through the movie, her head ending up on Tony's chest. He'd waited a little bit, to make sure she was deeply asleep before moving. He lay her down on the couch and went to get pillows and blankets, tucking the young girl in. He'd figured she'd be nervous if she woke up sleeping on him, so he let her have the couch while he took his bed. Twenty-four short hours ago he'd been a bachelor with no worries. Now he was, for all intents and purposes, a single father. His whole life had changed with one phone call. He sighed, wanting to find out what Ducky had found in Stephanie's medical records, but not wanting to know at the same time. With another sigh, Tony shut his eyes and willed himself to sleep, so he'd be better prepared for what he was afraid was coming.

_**A/N - **_**It's a bit short I know, but the next will be longer, I promise! Shout out to my bestie and her bestie, Smush68 and Mandielouluvsewe, for letting me have their idea and characters. Much appreciated, my friends! And if you haven't read anything by either one of them, RUN, don't walk to their stories! Awesome stuff!**

_**A/N 2 - **_**PLEASE, PLEASE,PLEASE REVIEW! Make my weekend! Please? REVIEW! And THANK YOU!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**DiNOZZO'S THEORY OF RELATIVITY**_

**CHAPTER 6**

_**Later That Morning…**_

Checking his hair one more time in the bathroom mirror, Tony buckled his watch back on and checked the time. Nearing zero-eleven hundred. He'd wanted to be at NCIS before this, but both he and Stephanie had overslept. Not surprising, after the night they'd had.

Before hopping in the shower, Tony had brought the bags with all Stephanie's new clothes into his bedroom, telling her she could take her time and change while he showered and changed in the bathroom. He'd thought knowing he was otherwise occupied would keep her from worrying about him trying anything. So he was surprised when nearly half an hour later the bathroom door was still shut and - he presumed - locked. Experience told him that women took forever to dress, but this was no grown woman, this was a ten year old girl.

He listened at the door for a minute but didn't hear anything. Could she have fallen back to sleep? Knocking softly, Tony called her name, a startled cry his answer. "What's up, kiddo? You ready to go?" A sniffle reached his ears. He closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. What could there possibly be to cry about in getting dressed? "Steph? You ok?" No answer, just more sniffles. "Do you need help? …. No? Is something wrong?" He leaned against the wall, trying to think what to do.

After a few more attempts at getting an answer, Tony was about to call Gibbs for advice, when his phone rang. "Hey Abbs," he sighed.

"Hey Tony-boy! I thought you and Stephanie were coming to see me today. Gibbs thought you'd be here by now. What's up?"

"I'd _planned_ on being there a while ago. But the kid and I both overslept. She was supposed to be getting dressed while I showered and changed. Now she's locked in the bedroom and crying. Isn't ten a little young to start that whole diva thing?" he tried to joke.

"What do you mean? She won't come out?"

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Won't come out, won't answer me. Just a lot of sniffling. What do I do, Abbs?"

After some thought, Abby answered, "call me back on the lab phone. I'll text her, see if I can find out what's wrong, and then I'll tell you."

Tony walked to the living room and sat, still exhausted. "Fine." He sighed. "Thanks, Abby."

As usual, Abby brushed it off. "Ehhhh, anything for Stephie." It was quiet for a few minutes after Tony called her back on the phone in the lab while Abby texted Stephanie. And Tony was getting impatient, knee bouncing, fingers tapping out a rhythm on the arm of the couch.

"This isn't the Spanish Inquisition, Abby. It doesn't take this long to ask why she's not coming out."

"Just a sec, Tony. I may have solved the problem….ohhhh, that's so _sad_," she whined sympathetically.

"Do you think _I_ could find out what's so sad so we can get in to work sometime today?" Tony asked in frustration.

Abby huffed. "You're such a guy, Tony. Ok, ok!" she hurried on, knowing he was growing tired of all this. "Ok. She's having a problem with what to wear…"

Tony flung himself out of the chair. "_What_? ….For…."

"No! No, Tony! It's not like that! …. Tony….Tony, listen to me!" Abby ordered over his grumbling. "Are you listening?" Tony grunted an affirmative. "Ok. Remember how I told you what was in her backpack? Just two pair of clothes? Well, she's nervous, and she wants to wear some of her old stuff, kind of like a comfort thing, ya' know? Like you and your lucky tube socks. But she's afraid you'll be mad if she doesn't wear the _new_ clothes we bought for her….. Oh, I told her you wouldn't be, but…well, anyway, that's what the problem is."

Tony flopped himself back down on the couch, running a hand over his face. "Terrific," he sighed. "So how do I get her out of there?"

"Ok," said Abby confidently, "here's my idea….."

Moments later, Tony stood outside the bedroom door again. "Hey Steph? … Can you open the door please?" Tony asked calmly. When there was no answer, he continued, "I'm on the phone with Abby right now. She'll text you and prove it …. Steph, Abby told me what's wrong …and it's ok ….. Can you open the door so we can talk? …. I think Abby had a great idea….." He heard Stephanie giggle. "What is she saying? …. Abby, what did you say to Steph? … Abby? … Steph? … No ganging up on the only guy in the room….." More little girl giggling. Even though he had the sneaking suspicion that they were laughing at _his_ expense, Tony would take giggles over sniffles _any _day. "So what do you say, kiddo? … Wanna' open the door so we can solve the problem?"

Abby told him that Stephanie had said good-bye to her and was opening the door just as the click of the lock signaled the little girl's arrival. "I think you can handle it from here, Tone. See ya' later!"

Tony thanked the forensic scientist and closed his phone as the door slowly crept open. Stephanie stood there in her almost thread-bare, a bit too small pajamas, head down, shoulders drooping. No doubt expecting something horrible, regardless of what Abby had assured her, Tony thought sadly. "Hey, kiddo," he said softly. She mumbled something that may have been 'hi.' "Can I come in?"

Stephanie looked up, surprised. This was _his _room … why was he asking permission? He could come in anytime he wanted … he must have seen the question on her face because he said, "this is _your_ room for now, 'til we can get you something better, something that's just yours. So….can I come in?"

Shocked, Stephanie nodded. Did he say ' just hers'? She walked in a daze to the bed, standing stiff and straight as a board, still expecting punishment of some kind. She sat when Tony motioned for her to do so, but was surprised again when he pulled over an ottoman and sat in front of her. She could tell he wanted to touch her, but instead set his elbows on his knees and leaned forward a bit, smiling.

"Don't suppose you want to tell me what you and Abby were giggling about, do ya'?" he fished, hoping to put Stephanie at ease. Tony saw her sneak a peek at him, and when she saw he was smiling, kidding around, she giggled and shook her head 'no'. Tony sighed dramatically. "Yeah, I thought so. Us guys get left out of everything." He thought for a moment how to approach the subject. "I'm going to be straight up with you and tell you that Abby told me why you weren't getting dressed. I don't want you thinking she was tattling or squealing or snitching, whatever it is they call it these days. I was really worried there was something serious…." Realizing that it probably sounded like he felt her problem _wasn't_ serious, he clarified himself. "I mean, I thought you were hurt or sick, or needed help, and I couldn't get to you. Now, I'm not saying you can't lock the door, because I want you to feel safe. But you need to let me know you're ok, ok? You don't have to open the door, just tell me you're ok. Or if you don't want to talk, do just like you did with Abby. Text me." Tony gave in and covered her hand with his own where it rested on her knee. "I was starting to get kinda' scared out there, hearing you crying in here, and being stuck out there."

Stephanie sniffled. "I'm sorry, " she whimpered softly.

"Hey, hey, hey. No reason for tears," Tony said, wiping tears from her cheek with his thumb. "We're still figuring things out, here. It hasn't even been a whole day, yet. We've both had a lot dumped on us, not to mention we just met each other. So there's nothing to be sorry about. Ok?" He waited until she nodded. "Ok. So. Abby told me what the problem is. And she also told me her solution, which I happen to think is _absolutely awesome_," he smiled wide. "That's why _she's_ the scientist, 'cuz she's so smart." He took Stephanie's hand in his. "I'm sorry I just heaped these new clothes on you like that. I know what it's like to want something familiar around…it helps you feel confident, not so alone. So you can pick. Either a new shirt and your own jeans, or new jeans and your own shirt. I'm not going to take your old stuff away, I promise. And I'm sorry if I made you think that. Ok?"

Stephanie nodded with a shy smile, then shook her finger at him. "No sorries," she said with a pretend stern face.

Tony laughed. "Yes, ma'am!" He ruffled the girl's hair. "So you get dressed in whatever you want - and come on out when you're done. We'll stop and grab some food on the way in to NCIS." He grimaced at the look the child gave him. "I just had an apple last night! You're going to make me eat healthy again so soon?" Stephanie raised her eyebrows at him. "Sheesh! You're a _kid_! You're _supposed_ to eat junk food! It's in the rule book or something …." He wilted under her glare. "Ok, ok, as healthy take out as we can find. Ok?" The siblings smiled identical big smiles.

_**L'IL SISTER~~~~~NCIS~~~~~L'IL SISTER~~~~~NCIS~~~~~L'IL SISTER~~~~~NCIS~~~~~L'IL SISTER**_

Once again, the security officer at the check-in gave Stephanie a hard time about the backpack she clutched to her chest. She was whimpering as his hands held tightly to it, trying to take it from her. Tony had gotten between the two and was doing a pretty darned good Gibbs impression when suddenly, he stopped and stepped away. The room had gone completely silent, except for the security officer's threats and Stephanie's cries.

"Hand it over, you little…."

"You sure you want to finish that statement, Officer Carey?" came a quiet, yet lethal-sounding, voice from behind the officer.

Officer Carey froze, recognizing Special Agent Gibbs' voice. Still holding onto the backpack, he half-turned and looked at the agent. "Special Agent Gibbs … I … my job…."

"Special Agent DiNozzo spoke to you about _your job_ yesterday. Right now, _your job_ is to get your hands off my granddaughter." When the officer still didn't let go, Gibbs took a few steps closer, getting into the man's space. "Now." He held out a hand to the little girl, who, with a sob of relief, pulled away from the security officer and ran to Gibbs' side and threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his suit coat. Gibbs ran his hand down her hair, settling it on her shoulder, holding her to him. "One of my agents gave you a warning yesterday about putting your hands on this little girl. A warning from one of my people is as good as a warning from _me_. Only _I_ don't give second chances. You're done here, Carey. Go home." As Gibbs turned to look at Stephanie, she latched her hands around his neck and jumped up, her legs wrapping around his waist. It took the older man a moment to adjust to her sudden weight, but he hugged her, whispering softly in her ear. With a sniffle, Stephanie nodded at something he said, and Gibbs looked at Tony. With a jerk of his head, he motioned for the younger man to grab the backpack from where it had been dropped and follow him.

With a sharp "on it, boss!" Tony did as ordered and fell into step with his superior.

_**NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NICS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS**_

_**Abby's Lab**_

Abby was pacing and wringing her hands by the time Gibbs, carrying Stephanie, and Tony arrived in her lab. "OhmyGod! It's all over the building already….they're on their way down, I tried, but I didn't know what to say! Ziva sounded pretty mad, you know she doesn't like being left out of the loop…well, she said 'hoop,' but I know she meant loop, and Tim sounds hurt, you know how insecure he gets when things are kept secret from him….I was too scared to answer the call from Vance….."

Gibbs set Stephanie down on her feet. "Breathe, Abbs. Take Stephanie into your office for a minute, ok?" Without a fuss, Abby did as asked. The senior agent turned to his SFA. "You want this on me, DiNozzo? They won't question me…"

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked into the office, where Abby was playing a computer game with his sister. "No, my sister, mine to explain. I was hoping for a little bit longer though, so she and I could get settled before I tossed her into the lion's den." He scoffed. "McGee won't be a problem, he'll just accept it and move on. But Ziva….she can be intense…..I don't want her scaring Stephanie. I know it won't be intentional, but…."

"I'll handle Ziva if it comes to that. Stephanie's your priority right now."

"Thanks, boss," Tony said gratefully, "for what you did at security. I…" The elevator dinged, signaling the arrival of their teammates from upstairs.

"Thank me later." Gibbs turned and signed to Abby to keep Stephanie in the office with the door closed. He watched as she used the remote to shut her door.

"Abby, I do not…" Ziva stopped short, McGee almost bumping into her from behind. "Gibbs. Tony." Her eagle eyes scanned the lab. "Is it true?"

Tony's eyes flicked from McGee to Ziva. "Is what true?"

"That you have a granddaughter, Gibbs! Is it true? Why haven't you told us? Why can you tell Tony, but not me or McGee?" The petite Israeli was, in a word, pissed.

Gibbs looked at Tony, who nodded. "Not my story to tell. And not my granddaughter. Yet."

Tim looked hurt and confused. It was obvious that Tony and Gibbs shared hidden knowledge about something - rather, some_one_ - and they probably never would have told anyone if there hadn't some big thing at security this morning. He'd thought the boss trusted him more than that. That he and Tony were _closer_ than that. "What's going on, Tony?" he asked quietly. "Who's little girl is she? And _where _is she?"

Taking a deep breath, Tony decided that Tim was the most reasonable at the moment, so he chose to answer him, not Ziva. "Remember that 'present' left for me at my father's hotel yesterday?" When McGee nodded, Tony continued, "well, it was a ten year old girl. Stephanie. And…she's my…sister,' he finished uncomfortably.

Ziva sputtered and laughed sarcastically. "And we are supposed to believe that? That this child is your _sister_?" She smiled smugly. "You might as well just tell us the truth, Tony. That she is your _daughter_."

"She's my sister, Ziva…."

Getting in Tony's space, Ziva laughed again. "Oh please! Face up to your responsibilities, Tony, and admit you are her father. We all knew that one day your sleeping around would come to this!"

Gibbs moved closer to Ziva. "You're going too far, Ziver…."

"Come on, Gibbs! You of all people know this to be true!" She turned back to Tony. "Do you call her your sister so you do not have to take responsibility? Is that what you tell yourself?"

Tony was beginning to lose his cool. "Stephie _is_ my sister, Zee-vah," he said angrily. "My father gave custody over to me…."

"Now I _know_ it is a lie!" Ziva crowed happily, vengefully. "No one in their right mind would leave custody of a child to _you_! Not on purpose, anyway."

Gibbs jumped in between Ziva and Tony before Tony could do anything. "'Ey!" His eyes hardened and he glared at Ziva, then turned to Tony. "I got your six," he said softly. "Stand down." Looking back at Ziva, he glared once again. "You went too far, David. Doesn't matter if it's Tony's sister, daughter, cousin, _whatever_. He is your partner and deserves your respect. If you can't give him that…"

"Uh, boss…" McGee had been quiet up 'til now, absorbing the data and assessing the situation. He'd concluded that Gibbs believes Tony, so it must be as Tony says. But right now, Abby was trying to get Gibbs' and Tony's attention from her office. She looked panicked. "Boss? Tony?" When both men finally look at him, McGee pointed to the office.

Tony may not understand sign language, but he got the message just the same. "Great," he muttered under his breath, angry all over again at Ziva. Gibbs leaned close. "I'll take David, " he murmured in the younger man's ear. "You take your sister." With that, Gibbs all but pushed Ziva out of the lab in front of him. Tony scrubbed a hand over his face and through his hair.

"Tony?" He jumped. He'd forgotten Probie was still there. "Yeah, McGee?" he asked tiredly.

"Anything I can do? To help, I mean?"

Tony smiled and clapped a hand on his surrogate brother's shoulder with a sigh. McGee believed him. "Not right now, Probie-Wan. But once this," he gestured to the office, "is over, I'll introduce you, ok?"

McGee smiled. "Sure. Well, if you need anything…" He turned for the exit.

"Thanks, Tim," Tony said quietly as the younger man left. With a sigh, he made his way to Abby's office door. She unlocked it and let him in.

"I'm sorry, Tony. She saw you and Ziva arguing and got scared…." Abby said worriedly. "I didn't know what to do…she just slid into the corner and curled up into a ball, crying….what happened out there? Ziva looked so angry…."

Tony shook his head. "She was." He looked over at the little girl in the corner, who looked even smaller now, if that were possible. "Later, ok?" Abby nodded, rubbing his arm softly in empathy. He nodded toward Stephanie. "This because _Ziva_ was angry, or because _I _was angry?"

"Honestly, Tony, I don't know. I think just people arguing did this." Abby hugged Tony with one arm. "I think there's some real bad stuff in her background, Tony. We've got to help her." She looked at him with wide, hazel-green eyes, shiny with unshed tears. Tony gave her a full hug and kissed her on the head.

"We will, Abbs. We will," he said with determination, walking over to work things out with his silently sobbing little sister.

_**L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER~~~NCIS~~~L'IL SISTER**_

_**A/N- **_**Just want to give a shout out to my new reviewers, followers, and alerters - ya'll know who you are. Thank you SO much for reading and liking my l'il ol' story. It's almost better than slightly melty Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to me! **

**And thanks to Smush68, who recommended my story to at least one of my new peeps - thanks for pimping me, Smushie! So only fair that I plug Smush's works now, too. She's a H-U-G-E TABBY Shipper, so if you love Tabby, PLEASE show some love to Smush and go read her stories! She's got others, too, but they're all Tony-centric. **

_**DISCLAIMER - No copyright infringement intended!**_

_**REVIEW! Thanks! **__**J**_


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